October 26th 2008
A Gloucester Old Spot boar is wanted to serve two sows in Hemyock, Devon, UK.
Anne, my new “farmingfriends” friend requires a GOS boar. I am not sure if Anne wants to hire the boar or buy the boar so I will email Anne and add this information to the post when I know.
If anyone has a Gloucester Old Spot boar for hire or for sale then either leave a comment below or use the contact form below and I will pass on your details to Anne.
Boar Gloucester Old Spots
October 22nd 2008
It is important that piglets get enough iron in their first week of life.
Piglets are born with low iron levels which needs to be boosted within a week of being born. They will not receive enough iron from the sows milk so it is important that the piglets get iron from another source. Outdoor reared pigs will get a source of iron from the soil as they root about in the ground for food. It is important to provide indoor reared piglets with a source of iron within the first week of their birth as they will not have access to iron supplies unless administered by hand.
Indoor reared piglets can be given a piece of turf with soil and grass for them to feed on which will provide them with iron.
The piglets can be injected with iron medication either into the neck or bottom. This is what we did with the 15 piglets that we have on our farm. Our piglets were injected with gleptosil into their bottoms. The difficulty with this procedure is keeping the piglets still long enough to inject the iron into them.
It is important that the piglets receive this additional iron because if they do not they may die. One indication of iron deficiency is if the piglets pass a white coloured dung or scour and piglets who do not get enough iron can become sickly and do not grow as quickly or develop as well as the other piglets.
Once the piglets are feeding on creep feed from three weeks of age they will get sufficient iron levels from this food.
Iron Iron Injections Pig Management Piglets
October 10th 2008
Here are some pictures of Claire’s Saddleback pigs.
hi sara Here are 3 pics, one of baby’s wondering what that chicken is doing in their bed and the other of mom watching over her babies and one of dad which we now have him up for sale if u know of anyone that’s after a boar in the uk let me know thanks
from claire
Claire has been one of my readers since she asked a question about her farrowing gilts Penelope and Tiny back in June.
Here is Claire’s story:
can u tell me how would i know when my pigs are ready to give birth as i got two girls that are pregnant when i got them i have no idea how long they have got left to be mothers thanks for any advise from claire
(more…)
British Saddlebacks Claires Pigs Farrowing Pig Behaviour Pig Body Parts Pig Breeding Pig Management Piglets Pigs Saddlebacks Sow
October 6th 2008
The temperature in the farrowing pen differs from the temperature in the creep area.
The creep area where the piglets can move away from the sow should be heated to a temperature up to 32 degrees Celsius. Heating can be attained by the use of an overhead heat lamp, a heat pad, underfloor heating or a well bedded area.
The farrowing pen itself where the sow is requires a lower temperature. The temperature in the farrowing room should be around 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. This is important because high temperatures can affect the sows milking ability.
Creep Area Farrowing Farrowing Pen Pig Management Piglets Pigs
October 5th 2008
17 Saddleback weaners for sale in the York to Hull area. Available from 10th November at 8 weeks old as the piglets were born on 15th September and 23rd September.
The Saddleback piglets are pedigree piglets and will be birth notified and registered with the BPA.
The piglets have been reared indoors. There are 15 gilts and 2 boars.
The sows that farrowed the piglets are from the Warrendale Rosette line and the boar is from the Gillbeck Grand Duke line.
The sows and the boar are friendly and good natured pigs, making the piglets excellent for breeding and as well as fattening.
We are based in the York and Hull area and would be happy for any prospective buyers to come and visit to view the piglets
The piglets will be £40 each at 8 weeks old.
If you are interested in the piglets then please leave a comment in the comment box below or contact me via the contact form below.
British Saddlebacks Pedigree Saddlebacks Pigs Saddleback Weaners Saddlebacks Weaners
September 30th 2008
Did you know that as soon as piglets are born they start to suckle and hunt for the sows teats. The suckling instinct kicks in within minutes of being born.
Initially the piglets will fight for the teats and there is alot of movement between teats and then within a day they settle down and always stick to the same teat. The most dominant piglets get the best teats. Some of the piglets even get to suckle on more than one if they are canny!
Moe from Iowavoice left a comment,
“I just watched on animal planet a story about how piglets fight pretty agressively for the teets the first time, with the dominant piglet getting the best teet, and on down the line, and how once the piglets establish who has what teet, they never change. Even if you take all of the piglets and mix them up they will all go back to “their” teets without any fighting.”
Animal behaviour is so interesting to watch.
Pig Behaviour Piglets
Cagney and Lacy’s third litter of piglets are growing fast. Lacy’s piglets are now nearly 7 weeks old and Cagney’s piglets are nearly 6 weeks old.
The piglets love rooting in the straw and it is a bit like watching a rugby scrum as they do so. The piglets are still being fed by the sows but their diet is now being supplemented with pig pellets, apples and sugar beet which they love to munch on. It is interesting to see that Cagney feeds her piglets whilst standing up and Lacy feeds hers by laying down.
